The Taiwanese Americans of the TCC are always a step ahead when it comes to caring for the less fortunate. Donations received from the clothing and food drive sponsored by THSH from September to November were turned over to Turning Point Center on December 2nd. This year, we collected 35 bags of clothing and four large boxes of canned food. Originally, we invited the children there to join the Taiwanese School students in celebrating the end of semester and Christmas on December 16th. However, some of the older children were picked up by their mothers and due to the cold weather, the mothers did not want to bring their younger children, so we canceled and will invite them at the next opportunity. Many thanks to the community members and school for their kindness. We have also donated $1,000 to the shelter, which was received by founder Mrs. Isha Salas Desselle.

On December 10th, we again registered for the Big Love Cancer Care Fun Run under THSH. This is a walking/running event specifically aimed at helping pediatric cancer patients and their families. With the sun shining on a cool morning, some finished the five-kilometer route running and others finished it walking. Kids also demonstrated their abilities in the children’s group. The sponsors exhibited photos and posters of the patients along the route, giving us a new appreciation of these little warriors, and strengthening our determination to help them and their families. This year 39 people participated, with their donations (coupled with the $500 from THSH) totaling $2,400. The participants came in second out of all the participating teams and ninth in total donations. (Event photos)

On Saturday December 2nd at 4PM, “Secret of Grandma’s Kitchen” took place at the TCC. This was an event co-hosted with the Houston Arts Alliance and was one of the events in their food and family portion of the Folklife+Civic Engagement events series. They are hoping to help others learn more about Taiwanese culture and traditional foods of the Houston Taiwanese American community (http://houstonartsalliance.com/folklife/food-family/).
About 40 people came to participate in the event, some of whom were guests from outside our communities. We set up several different booths at the TCC to present and demonstrate various Taiwanese traditional drinks and foods: Ms. Ko made aiyu jelly, Ms. Lo and students from the Taiwanese school cooking class made red tortoise cake, Dr. Kuo cooked ta-a (Danzi) noodles, Mr. Chieu made some Taiwanese high mountain tea, Ms. Wei brought sticky rice, and there was pineapple cake and various native Taiwanese fruits (guava, sugar cane, Taiwanese pears, longan) prepared by Flora Jang. There was also an exhibit of artifacts relating to traditional Taiwanese food. After the demonstrations and presentations, it was time to try all the food. People of all different ethnicities sat together for a chat while trying all the dishes and experiencing the cultural context. The sponsors from Houston Arts Alliance and many first-time guests to the TCC were impressed by the sense of community and volunteerism in our community, making us proud to be a part of the TCC family. (Event photos)

Owls & Raptors
Time: Saturday, January 20th, 12:30PM~1:30PMAt the beginning of the year, two experts from the Houston Audubon Society came to introduce us to the traits of the migratory birds, where they are found, and how to protect them. Adults and children alike enjoyed the program very much, and now we have finally been able to invite their manager, Ms. Mary Anne Weber, to come talk about owls’ characteristics and their archenemies, etc. This will be an educational and meaningful lecture. She will be brining one or two owls and other raptors (predatory birds) and falcons, which will be sure to delight children. (Online Registration)
Cost: Free for both members and non-members
Reference: http://houstonaudubon.org

One Day Field Trip to Toyota Motor Plant, San Antonio, TX
Time: Wednesday, January 24th, 8AM-6PMContent: Many of our community members like to drive Toyota’s cars. Did you know that their Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks are built on the south side of San Antonio? This plant received the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates Silver Award. Someone suggested that we take a tour there. The tour will take approximately an hour and a half. We have specially reserved a spot for us to tour their facility, to allow everyone to learn about the automobile manufacturing process. The plant has many safety measures, please make efforts to follow. On the way back to Houston, we will have a short stop visit at the beautiful Brackenridge Park. San Antonio actually has many attractions worth for a visit; hopefully we will have other opportunities coming back for another visit.
Cost: Members $17, non-members $22. (Registration closed)
Reference: http://www.toyotatexas.com/https://www.brackenridgepark.org/

February Events

Highlight Texas Animals
Time: Saturday, February 24th, 12:30PM-1:30PMContent: Houston Zoo animal expert Ms. DeAndra M. Ramsey was originally scheduled to come talk to us about unusual animals in Texas on November 28, 2017 but had to postpone because she went out of town. Now she has specially taken a day off and changed to this date to come give a talk for free. We are very thankful to her, so please do not miss this opportunity! (Online registration)
Cost: Free for both members and non-members
Reference: https://www.houstonzoo.org/

One Day Field Trip to Victoria, TX
Time: Wednesday, February 28th, 8:30AM-5:30PMContent: Last May we had hoped to visit Victoria on the return trip from visiting Formosa Plastics, but due to time constraints we had to cancel. Many were disappointed, so we hope to make up for it by making a special trip just to tour this city. It has a dazzling history of oil, and is known for its Victorian architecture. We will be visiting the Museum of the Coastal Bend and Victoria Educational Gardens. It will be a trip with a relaxed schedule and beautiful scenery. You’re welcome to come join us! (Day trip rules) (Online registration)
Cost: Members $20, non-members $30
Reference: https://explorevictoriatexas.com

Event Highlights

Ms. Candy Twyman from the Houston Better Business Bureau (BBB) came on December 9th to explain how to go about getting a suitable home repair service. According to her: (1) Check the business listings published by BBB. These are all registered companies with a good reputation. If you find out about a company through other means (like family, friends, neighbors, etc.), you should look up their reputation. (2) When signing a contract, put everything in writing. Other than the repairs to made, materials, brands, and pricing, the contract should include what guarantees and post-repair upkeep. (3) If any changes are made, get it in writing. (4) Get a confirmed phone number and address to prevent being ripped off. (5) If any work requires the person to have a license, look up their license validity. (6) Ask them for proof of insurance.
She further warned that people who knock on your door to advertise, provide lots of discounts, are using leftover materials, or do not have a phone or fixed address are often fraudsters. Texas has a regulation that gives you three days to think over a contract and you can cancel the contract within three days. If you sign a new contract, the price should be the same. If you have any questions, you are welcome to call Ms. Twyman at (713) 341-6141 or email her at ctwyman@bbbhou.org.
Reference: https://www.bbb.org/houston (Event Photos)

On December 12th, we went to Galveston’s Moody Gardens to see the Festival of Lights, which runs for a mile around Moody Gardens. The display consists of about 1 million bulbs and allows you to take in the scenery on Galveston Bay.

Saturday December 16th was the Fall 2017 Semester End Ceremony for the Taiwanese School. Starting from 10:30AM there were some events to exhibit Taiwanese culture, such as marble games and Taiwanese snack-making. The lunch was an astounding display of traditional foods, including king mackerel soup, spicy fuqi feipian, fried potato balls, and other tasty treats. The ceremony encompassed presentation of awards and other entertaining acts. Everyone enjoyed themselves chatting and playing. (Event Photos)

Other Community News

TACL Toastmasters Monthly Activities

Overwhelmed by your holiday to-do list? Come take a break and hang out with your friends at TACL!
On November 27, Such fun to meet with all our illustrious members! Sherry gave a great speech about closing the sale to recruit new members - she's right, it's all our responsibility. Lorrine gave a funny speech about asian bridal showers. Nam led a deep topic session on our emotions. Thank you Carol for the delicious pumpkin pie!
On December 4th, Carol gave an icebreaker about the nicknames her different friend groups have for her and Kevin spoke about the importance of concentration to do deep work. Phil led a fun topic session about the holiday season!
On December 11, excellent meeting with our luminous members! Patrick spoke about God in America and Shang shared that we should not judge when it comes to suicide. Kevin's table topic was on new years resolutions.
On December 18, we had our Christmas party, potluck dinner and order in food, we had a lot of fun in playing Family Feud, thank Phil Yeh for preparing the game, and Kevin Chang for hosting the game. A few former members showed up to celebrate holidays with us. Area Director Belinda Mays and her family joined our party!
2017 is a year with Harvey, Astro, and snow in Houston, let’s cap it off with a very happy year-end holidays! With high spirits, we are looking forward to a fabulous 2018, and our next regular meeting is January 8th, 2018.
Check us out online at on Facebook @TACLtoastmasters or www.TACLclub.toastmastersclubs.org

Monday, January 1, TCC will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day.

On December 2nd, Carrington expert on real estate and loans M. John Torres was to come to talk about financial resources for post-flood aid, especially regarding new ordinance 203H which offers long-term low-interest financial loans. Due to low registration, we canceled the event to avoid wasting the speaker’s time. If anyone is still interested, we can invite him again if 6 or 7 people will register. Or, you may individually contact him for assistance. His website is www.johntorres.carringtonrealestate.com

Ms. Yun-Ruo Lan of the Jing-Mei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park donated three books to THSH: two copies of “Collections of Caring” (關懷雜集), compiled by Fucheng Shichongjiuren (府城石舂臼人), and one of “Passing the Long Night” (走過長夜), published by the National Human Rights Museum. These are all deeply moving books describing the life stories of political refugees. Thank you to Ms. Lan for her care for the THSH. Everyone is welcome to come borrow these books. The Jing-Mei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park is one of the cultural parks managed by the National Human Rights Museum. The other is the Green Island Human Rights Culture Park. You can find out more by searching online or visiting when in Taiwan.